Hong Kong: Facebook, Twitter and Google have warned the Hong Kong government that they can stop operating in the region if officials continue with the planned changes to the data protection law that can make them responsible for sharing individual information online, Wall Street Journal reports.
A letter sent by an industrial group that includes the internet company said the company was worried that the rules planned to deal with doxing could put their staff at risk of investigations or criminal prosecutions related to what online company users did.
Doxing refers to the practice of placing personal information online so they can be harassed by others, the report said.
The Hong Kong constitutional and maintenance bureau proposed amendments to the City Data Protection Act in May which was said to be needed to combat doxing, a common practice during the 2019 protest in the city.
The proposal called for a sentence of up to 1 million Hong Kong dollars, equivalent to around $ 128,800 and a prison sentence of up to five years.
“The only way to avoid this sanction for technology companies is to refrain from investing and offering services in Hong Kong,” said the June 25 letter which was previously not reported from the internet internet coalition based in Singapore, which was reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.
Tensions have emerged among several of the most powerful US companies and Hong Kong authorities as Beijing provide increased control over the city and imposes political opinion differences.
US companies and other technology companies last year said they suspended processing requests from Hong Kong law enforcement agencies after China’s imposition of national security law in the city.